Richard Rushfield

It's funny the things that sneak up on you after a life spent in narcoleptic yammering with the giants of our age. What with the crazy hours and interviews to prep — starting a family just falls between the cracks.

But thankfully, if you are toastmaster to the greats, it's never to late to recall why you put that string around your little finger in the first place. And at age 67, Charlie Rose is ready to get around to all that PTA and softball stuff.

"If I was madly in love with someone who offered the opportunity to spend our lives together," Rose says, "I would love to have a child or adopt a child."

He is the godparent to two of the grandchildren of Amanda Burden, with whom he's had an on-and-off relationship for nearly two decades. "Maybe," she says bemusedly, "maybe Charlie should get a dog first."

The piece details the tricky line Rose must walk, interviewing every CEO and powerful person in America, while the show is dependent upon them for underwriting support, not to mention moving strictly in a titans-only social circle.

Other revelations from the piece:

• Rose wakes up at 5 AM to watch three TV's at once and clip articles from newspapers.
• The reason for the frequent absence of cuff links on his sleeves is because he was running late.
• NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman is the show's most frequent guest with 65 appearances under his belt.
• Michael Bloomberg let Rose borrow a studio for free to get his PBS show started.
• His speaking and moderating fees start at $50,000.
• Rose owns a Segway scooter and a red Vespa.